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For future reference, Washington ESD usually posts payments between Monday night and Wednesday morning depending on your bank. Direct deposit is faster than the debit card usually.
Just want to add that if you're getting partial unemployment because you're working reduced hours, the calculation gets more complicated. They use a different formula that accounts for your part-time earnings each week.
Thanks everyone for all the explanations! I think I understand now that my $437 is probably correct based on the two highest quarters formula. I'll still try to get through to Washington ESD to confirm, but at least I'm not panicking about it being wrong anymore.
If you do end up needing to call Washington ESD, definitely consider using Claimyr to get through faster. Saved me hours of frustration.
Final thought - document everything! Keep records of every phone call, every letter, every payment. If there are any disputes later, you'll be glad you have the paper trail.
Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice and encouragement. I feel much better about tackling this now that I know what my options are. I'm going to try to get through to Washington ESD this week and see about setting up a payment plan or possibly appealing if I think I have grounds. Will update you all on how it goes!
You've got this! And remember, Claimyr is there if you need help getting through to someone at ESD.
Just wanted to follow up on my earlier comment about Claimyr - I used them again this week to ask about my benefit calculation after getting a confusing notice from Washington ESD. The agent was able to walk me through exactly how they calculated my weekly amount and explain why it changed from my initial determination. Really saved me a lot of stress and confusion.
Bottom line is your weekly benefit amount depends on your work history and wages during your base period. For someone making $18/hour working 35-40 hours, you're probably looking at somewhere between $350-450 per week depending on how consistent your hours were and how long you worked at that wage. Not great but enough to keep you afloat while job searching.
Grace Thomas
Pro tip: if you do get through to someone at Washington ESD, make sure to get their direct extension or callback number. Some agents will give you their direct line for follow-up questions.
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Hunter Brighton
•That's great advice! I never thought to ask for a direct number.
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Sarah Ali
•Not all agents can give direct numbers due to policy, but it's definitely worth asking if you have an ongoing issue that might require follow-up.
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Dylan Baskin
Just wanted to update - I tried the Claimyr service after reading about it here and it actually worked! Got connected to a Washington ESD agent who helped me understand why my claim was flagged for adjudication. Turns out there was a simple documentation issue I could resolve.
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Lauren Wood
•How long did it take them to get you connected?
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Dylan Baskin
•About an hour from when I submitted the request to when they called me back with the agent on the line. So much better than spending all day redialing.
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